Rachel Maddow on Getting Hate Mail

Rachel Maddow appeared on Ellen to talk about her new documentary and the topic turned to the hate mail Rachel gets regularly. She talks about how most of the e-mails denigrate her appearance in some way and how it's designed to keep women in their place.

I'm always amazed at the sheer amount of hate mail we get at Bilerico Project. The inbox usually includes at least one a day and stuff is regularly left on both the TBP Facebook fan page or my own fan page. You can look at the comments section here too to see unbridled anger directed at authors complete with personal attacks.

What's up with people that they feel obligated to lash out with anger and hatred at someone they don't even know? I know it's easier to lash out when you're hiding behind a keyboard and there's no personal connection, but has it come to this?

Leave a comment

We want to know your opinion on this issue! While arguing about an opinion or idea is encouraged, personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please be respectful of others.

The editorial team will delete a comment that is off-topic, abusive, exceptionally incoherent, includes a slur or is soliciting and/or advertising. Repeated violations of the policy will result in revocation of your user account. Please keep in mind that this is our online home; ill-mannered house guests will be shown the door.

They lost on slavery. They lost on integration. They even lost on keeping handicapped kids out of regular schools. They lost on abortion. But they are determined not to lose on gay rights. And they are slowly doing just that, losing. Americans seem to need to have someone to feel better than in order to feel good and that is why any positive portrayal of the GLBT community is met with such hatred. And as for the religious objections they also used those to justify slavery. They are angry. They have been able to largely take over American government but not so well that they can reverse the tide of equality. So the fundies are mad. And that is why they fume.

Right on cue: I woke up this morning to this e-mail in the inbox.
---
Developing homosexual and transgender feelings is trauma-based--a product of sustained faulty bonding and identification with the same-sex parent starting in early life.

and they seem to have left out ppl like me--born male, identified more with my *mother* and have always been attracted to women, not men...that is the problem with structuralism (including object relations, in my mind, which is also dehumanizing)--it is mostly applied theory rather than experimentally based like most other approaches...

" . . . unbridled anger directed at authors complete with personal attacks." It's interesting that there are people who are part of Bilerico who don't own up to their own "personal attacks," as if they are somehow above the law. Just pointing out that it works both ways, in case people miss that.

Monica, if you think I was serious about ribbing Rachel Maddow ... I love Rachel Maddow! She is near the top of my list of current LGBT heroes! And obviously she has a healthy sense of humor about herself or she would not have made the sardonic remark about wanting some hate mail that would at least be creatively refreshing. I don't know if I lived up to that mark, but I'm sure she would be amused at the effort if not at the actual one-liners themselves. Lighten up -- poke some fun back at me instead of being so shake-my-head about it.